Australia's Ariarne Titmus will face defending champion Katie Ledecky in a much-anticipated final, while Kaylee McKeown adds an Olympic record to her world mark in the 100m backstroke.
Ariarne Titmus has set up a much-anticipated clash with defending champion Katie Ledecky in the women's 400 metres freestyle final, while Australian teammate Kaylee McKeown has added an Olympic record to her world mark in the 100m backstroke.McKeown swam 57.88 to set an Olympic record in the heatsCompeting in the heat following Ledecky's on Sunday night in Tokyo, Titmus swam a time of 4 minutes, 1.
Ledecky, a five-time Olympic gold medallist, clocked 4:00.45 to comfortably win her heat ahead of China's Li Bingjie, who swam 4:01.57.The 20-year-old put Ledecky on notice that her world record of 3:56.46 was under threat when she swam 3:56.90 — the second fastest time in the event's history — at Australia's Olympic trials in Adelaide last month.
Australia's Tamsin Cook missed qualifying for the final by one spot after swimming 4:04.80 to place fifth in same heat as Titmus.She arrived in Tokyo with a target on her back after setting a world record of 57.45 at the Olympic trials. The burden of favouritism did not seem to faze the 20-year-old in her opening swim at the Games, as she touched the wall in an Olympic record time of 57.88 to top qualifying for Monday's semi-finals.Emily Seebohm, a four-time Olympian and silver medallist in the event at the 2012 London Games, placed third in McKeown's heat with 58.86 to join her Australian teammate in the next stage.Remarkably, the pre-Games Olympic record of 58.
Canada's Kylie Masse was the first to dip under, before Regan Smith of the United States swam 57.96 only minutes later.
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